goalkeeper

[gohl-kee-per]

noun

1. (in ice hockey, field hockey, lacrosse, soccer, etc.) a player whose chief duty is to prevent the ball or puck from crossing or entering the goal.

goalkeeper

/ ˈɡəʊlˌkiːpə /

noun

1. sport a player in the goal whose duty is to prevent the ball, puck, etc, from entering or crossing it

Other Word Forms

• goalkeeping noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of goalkeeper¹

First recorded in 1650–60; goal + keeper

Example Sentences

He dismissed the notion his side looked tired against limited opponents, even though they only had eight substitutes, including two goalkeepers, when they could have named 11.

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"The elephant in the room is that, in those tournaments, there were other teams who were simply better than us," said former goalkeeper David James on BBC Radio 5 Live.

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Tuchel told his England players in June that there is "a fight for every position" and there was "no exception" for goalkeepers.

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"He was very outspoken, very opinionated," says Match of the Day pundit Shay Given, the former Newcastle goalkeeper who Bellamy lined up with more than any other player during his career.

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In the era of the great Pat Jennings - widely regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time - McFaul would only win six caps for Northern Ireland.

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When To Use

What does goalkeeper mean?

In sports like soccer (football) and hockey, the goalkeeper is the player positioned in front of the goal whose job is to prevent the ball or puck from entering it (or crossing the goal line).Goalkeeper can be used to refer to the position or the player. A goalkeeper might say they play goalkeeper. A common informal word for goalkeeper is goalie. In some sports, a goalkeeper is called a goaltender. In soccer, the goalkeeper is sometimes called the keeper.Example: When I played soccer, I was the goalkeeper, and I was pretty good, especially because I was quick and had long arms for my age.